Long Beach’s Jacori Teemer bigger, stronger for third state title
Long Beach's Jacori Teemer, top, wrestles against Syosset's Alex Vargas in the semifinals of the 126-pound class (Division I) during the NYSPHSAA 2016 State Wrestling Championships held at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. Credit: Adrian Kraus
ALBANY — At the beginning of the wrestling season, Jacori Teemer, then a two-time state champ, found out he was the fourth-ranked wrestler at 126. His ensuing reaction was without hesitation.
“I went straight to the gym,” the sophomore from Long Beach said with a smile.
As the season progressed, Teemer got bigger. He got stronger. “And now,” Teemer said after he defeated Huntington’s John Arceri, 6-3, in the 126 title bout at the state wrestling championships at the Times Union Center Saturday, “I’m one of the biggest 126-pounders.”
Teemer, who won at 99 and 106 the previous two seasons, had never faced Arceri, a defending state champ at 113. But he knew Arceri’s track record.
“We both have the same credentials,” Teemer said. “We’re both state champs, and I had to push harder than he did. I had never wrestled him before.”
To compensate, Teemer, who improved to 49-0, studied the previously undefeated Arceri (44-1) during his semifinal bout.
“I watched his semifinals match,” Teemer said. “It was 1-1 and it went to ultimate ride out. So I saw he likes to keep it close. I knew he was going to take a passive approach.
Teemer earned a takedown in each period to build a 6-2 lead.
“My mentality was just to remain aggressive,” he said. “I had to keep coming at him.”
Moving up three weight classes, Teemer entered the season with a chip on his shoulder.
“A lot of people were saying that Arceri was going to be the one to take me down,” Teemer said. “I had to prove them wrong.”
For Teemer, it was a fitting end to a season in which he said he worked harder than he ever had.
“The one thing that he had to improve on was his strength,” Long Beach coach Ray Adams said. “And he worked very hard at that. And he also had to change his style a little bit to learn how to wrestle the bigger guys. He learned as the season went on, and he adapted very well.”
Teemer was well aware of what was at stake. No wrestler from Long Island has ever won five state titles.
“I always think about it,” Teemer said. “This state finals match, I was a little bit nervous because Arceri’s a state champ, too. If there was anyone who was going to stop me, it was him.
“But as soon as it was over, I thought about it right away. I’m still on pace for five.”
At 220, Terron Robinson of Whitman defeated Ryan Ellesfen of Goshen, 9-5. Robinson, who had four emphatic takedowns, was thrown to his back seven times, but countered each move to avoid being penalized.
One year after losing by a point in the 285 final, Edwin Rubio secured his spot at the top of the podium. The Glenn senior won, 3-2, in overtime criteria against Cameron Rohr (Irondequcit).
